Cape Wind Associates, which wants to build a 130-turbine wind farm in Nantucket Sound, announced last week that its site on Horseshoe Shoal has experienced strong winds on days of high power demand since 2005.

A data tower the company erected on the Sound in 2003 reported wind speeds ranging from 8.89 to 12.90 meters per second on 10 record-setting demand days as identified by the Independent System Operator of New England, which manages the region's power grid.

In a report published July 2, Cape Wind said its turbines would have produced 321 megawatts per hour on those days, as opposed to its expected average output of 182 megawatts.

The report cites the sea breeze effect, prevalent in the summer, when air heats up faster over land and air over the water expands toward it.

Cape Wind says the introduction of its "clean" renewable energy at times of peak demands would allow suppliers to back off bringing older, more polluting power sources on line.